Human Subjects Research Training

To meet Federal regulations, the Clemson University IRB requires principal investigators and all research team members to complete appropriate training in the protection of human subjects, with continuing education required every two years.

The requirement for training in human subjects protection will be met by successfully completing the appropriate Collaborative IRB Training Initiative (CITI) human subjects training course. The Clemson University CITI online Human Subjects Protections Course has the following tracks:

Group 1: Social and Behavioral Science Research

Group 2: Biomedical Research

Group 3: HIPAA only

Group 4: IRB Member Training

It is anticipated that most individuals from Clemson University will be taking the Social and Behavioral Science Research track.

The Social and Behavioral Science track has eight required modules. Each module takes about 30 minutes to complete. There are also various optional modules (e.g., research involving minors, research in public elementary and secondary schools, and Internet research). If your research involves these topics and is not exempt from continuing review, you may be required to complete the appropriate ‘optional’ modules as well. The training can be fulfilled in steps by completing training modules, logging out, logging in at a later time and completing more modules. When re-entering the course, enter your username and password on the CITI homepage, then submit.

Important: Since you may not be able to complete all the required modules in one session, remember your username and password because you will need these to re-enter the course site. Additionally, if you will still be conducting human subjects research at Clemson University in two years, you will need this username and password again, to take the refresher course that satisfies the requirement for continuing education in the protection of human subjects.

A passing score of 80 percent or better is needed to meet the Clemson IRB's training requirement. The IRB staff has access to an online database that tracks all Clemson-affiliated CITI training, so there is no need to send a copy of your Course Completion Certificate to the IRB. We do recommend that you print or download a copy of this certificate for your own records, as evidence of successful completion of training.

Questions regarding these training requirements should be addressed to the IRB staff.